A view from the Wembley press box

Manchester United fans experienced a range of emotions during the Emirates FA Cup final but, due to Eden Hazard’s first-half penalty, the overriding one would be disappointment.

Like the semi-final, it was another warm Wembley afternoon, but there was no doubt the atmosphere was different to the previous round – this was the final and everyone could feel it. There was tension in the air.

‘Glory, Glory, Man United’ and ‘Blue is the Colour’ bellowed around the stadium, before the heat intensified, literally. Pitchside pyrotechnics were fired into the air with a warmth you could feel from your seat.

At either end, banners of Ray Wilkins were unveiled as both sets of fans paid tribute to a man much loved by supporters of the Reds and the Blues. The teams lined up along the red carpet for the singing of the National Anthem and shortly after, the final was under way.

The United fans were in their usual full voice throughout the opening exchanges, and they only paused for a sharp intake of breath when Hazard zipped a shot at David De Gea’s near post, which the keeper repelled.

The two sets of fans believed they could and should have had a penalty within the first 15 minutes and, in the press box, both shouts were filed in the “seen-them-given” category.

Soon Chelsea did see one given, when Phil Jones fouled Hazard in the box. Despite the fans behind De Gea’s goal trying all they could to put the Belgian off, he kept his cool to stroke home and half the stadium erupted, while the other fell silent for the first time.

Cheers returned to the United end as the first half neared its conclusion, but the Chelsea fans had the last laugh when it transpired Jones’s back-post header hadn’t actually found the back of the net.

For the Reds inside the stadium, the overriding emotion at the break was frustration, exacerbated by the fears that the Blues are always more than capable of protecting a lead.

United played better in the second half though and a bright start was recognised by the supporters who found their voices again as the likes of Marcus Rashford, Alexis Sanchez and Paul Pogba piled pressure on Chelsea.

Eventually the pressure paid off - or so we thought as Alexis appeared to have done what he did in the semi-final, claiming an equaliser. Alas, he was flagged offside and the score remained stuck at 1-0.

The match became more frantic and the play changed ends quicker than it had at any previous point.

As they have done so often, Chelsea were looking to run down the clock, much to the irritation of United and the referee Michael Oliver, who booked Thibaut Courtois for time-wasting, but eventually the minutes did run out for the Reds.

Sadly, royal blue was to be the colour of the day and despite defiant applause from the United end at the final whistle, it just wasn’t to be for Jose Mourinho's men this year. Here's to 2018/19.

The opinions in this story are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Manchester United Football Club.

Credit: Manutd.com